Drake is unapologetic in his love for Tupac. Many times he’s gone on record speaking about what makes him an all-time great, mentioned him in verses, and even commissioned a $600,000 tribute to the late rapper.
Many have suggested that Drizzy is the modern-day Pac, but even the Canadian doesn’t think he is worthy of being mentioned alongside the West Coast legend. In 2011, he opened up about how he is jealous of Shakur’s one-track-minded attitude more so than his musical ability and why he wishes he had “more Pac to my persona”.
“I would honestly say, if there was anybody that I wish I could be a little bit more alike, it would probably be Pac,” Drake admitted. “I think more than anything, and aside from his music, which was absolutely incredible, I think he just drove people with who he was, the way he carried himself, and how little he cared.
“I think in this era of technology, and this generation that’s full of opinion, we all sit there and read all this negative stuff. He was somebody that was genuinely a free spirit. He did not care, and I wish I could have a little more Pac to my persona.”
In 2017, Drake decided to pay homage to Pac, and he recruited celebrity diamond encruster Jason of Beverley Hills to create a paean to the late rapper. The chains took five weeks of manual labour to create, totalling over 150 man-hours and setting Drizzy back $300,000 each.
The pendants show Pac wearing a crown of thorns, with one red and the other blue. Meanwhile, each pendant includes diamond chains that reportedly feature 70 carats of flawless white and natural yellow diamonds and over half a kilogram of gold.
Despite his comments and tribute to Shakur, interestingly, he doesn’t make Drake’s top five. He once revealed, “My top five is Biggie, Hov, Wayne, Young Tony and 3000 since nobody asked”.
The lack of Pac on this list, combined with his previous remarks, suggests that it’s Pac personality that made Drizzy awe-inspired, not solely his musical capabilities. In truth, this magical asset made Shakur a cultural icon, and he was a charismatic enigma who had that special something that you couldn’t quite place.